Month: March 2017

In anticipation of Pinkly Perfect’s first birthday on April 1st, I sat down with one of my besties (and PP Contributor), Maureen, to chat about the past year, what I have learned, and my hopes for the future of Pinkly Perfect! Below is our convo:

MD: What is Pinkly Perfect doing to celebrate her birthday?

MS: We’ll be celebrating with a nice dinner out with my parents. For her launch, I organized a big party and this year I really wanted to honor the people who knew me when PP was just a dream and I was too afraid to act on it. I’ll also be making a little stop at the beach of course! 🙂

MD: What was the rose of the first year, and what was the thorn?

MS: The rose was being quoted in Glamour. And the thorns were the negative comments from people I thought would be supportive. It’s really not fun to be putting so much effort into something and working on it completely alone and constantly doubting yourself then you get some great press or hit a milestone and you’re like “Yes! Now I have something to celebrate!” and they automatically point out a flaw. Those moments are what you need to stay alive and then comments like that throw you right back down. I wish people knew how completely exhausting and scary running a company is.

MD: What are Pinkly Perfect’s goals for the next year?

MS: I’m moving into a big office space on her birthday actually and my goal for the next year is to get a real organized operation and process in motion where it can run seamlessly without me being there. Also looking to make my first official hire in year 2 and getting an advisory board in place to help with the more difficult decisions of running a business.

MD: A one-year old has grown 50% since birth, can stand alone, and sleeps less during the day. What milestones has Pinkly Perfect reached since last year?

MS: After one year, Pinkly Perfect’s product line is completely realized. When I launched last year, I launched a variety of products with not too much inventory as a “test.” This year, everything I launched works and sells so it’s nice to have something really tight and specific. She also has a built in base of repeat customers, which is really impressive.

MD: What has been the hardest part of the last year? What has been the easiest?

MS: Hardest part by far is doing it alone. I say this over and over and still can’t say it enough—it is so difficult to have no one on the team with you to get advice from, brainstorm with, problem solve, or just vent to. It’s one thing to have sounding boards with friends and family but they don’t get it—there’s nothing at stake for them/they have no equity in this. The easiest part is working on it 24/7. I love it so much that I genuinely really enjoy spending so much time on it and making it perfect. People think I’m crazy or that I need a “break” but I’m obsessed and proud of it!

MD: You had a clear idea of Pinkly Perfect’s path. How did she follow that path, and how did she differ?

MS: I worked on PP for an entire year prior to my launch so I kind of sorted out the path she was going down prior to that. Although in the last year, she geared more towards accessories than clothing and also got into 13 boutiques. I launched thinking I wanted to be online only so that’s been a massive difference.

MD: What did you learn about yourself in the last year?

MS: I learned that I can be my own role model. Starting a company was something I always wanted for myself but pushed aside because I didn’t know anyone who was doing it at my age and alone. When I realized I owed it to myself to do this and then since launching, doing it so well, I felt kind of sad that I didn’t realize before that just because someone else wasn’t there doing it, that I couldn’t. Since launching, I’ve heard from so many women of all different ages that I’ve inspired them to make the leap and it’s the best feeling ever to be that inspiration for myself and for other people.

MD: What do Pinkly Perfect and Maddy have in common? How are they different?

MS: Pinkly Perfect and I love all the same things. We’re beach obsessed, prefer warm weather to cold, love being comfortable, and surrounding ourselves with things that are cheerful. We’re different in that I am actually pretty tough and don’t love the spotlight. I often have to crack the whip, which has allowed Pinkly Perfect to shine but I think people would be surprised about that fact.

Summer is only 67 days away and our festival schedule has been finalized! If you’re looking to shop Pinkly Perfect not only in person (hint: we’re in a dozen shops this summer! Yay!), but also from yours truly, you’ll want to mark your calendars for our festival schedule below:

Spring Block Party

Ocean City, NJ

Saturday, May 6th, 2017

From 9 AM until 5 PM, we’ll be selling our 08226 bracelets and Ocean City, NJ keychains (among so many other favorites) at the Spring Block Party in Ocean City, NJ. This is a perfect time to get a special gift in time for Mother’s Day, graduations, and teacher gifts to celebrate the end of the school year.

Skimmer Festival

Sea Isle City, NJ

Saturday, June 17th, 2017

We will once again be at the Skimmer Festival this year! From 9 AM until 4 PM, find us on the promenade and get ready to snag some perfect beach inspired fashion and accessories before hitting the beach on Father’s Day Weekend. (Pick up a black or blue Sea Isle City, NJ Keychain if you’re looking for a last-minute gift.)

Lower Gwynedd Pike Fest

Lower Gwynedd, PA

Saturday, September 16th, 2017

From 10 AM until 4 PM, we’ll be in our favorite Philly suburb selling our reminders of summer vacation for anyone with a bad case of the school year blues. Also a perfect time to get a head start on your Christmas shopping!

Despite some ice covered roads and difficulty parking on tiny Philadelphia snowed in streets, the shoot went off seamlessly and I am SO excited to announce that so many of new favorites are now available for sale at pinklyperfect.com. Check them out!

Model Lauren in Avalon Sweatshirt, Indigo available at pinklyperfect.com.

Fun fact: I’ve been sitting on these indigo heather sweatshirts for over a year waiting for the right design to come to me. When I started researching patches, I knew it’d be perfect to pair this denim inspired color with pretty pink ice cream cone and flamingo patches. And I am in major L-O-V-E. Pick one up at pinklyperfect.com! (Get a matching Newport Cosmetic Bag and a pink coordinate keychain to make a perfect gift!)

This Newport Cosmetic Bag really doesn’t need much of an explanation. If you’re a Pinkly Perfect fan then you’re probably just as into summer as I am and have a life goal of getting as many beach days in as possible. Only 74 days until Memorial Day and we’re there! 🙂 Shop the best-selling Newport Cosmetic Bags in all versions here.

Noticed any sneak peeks and still waiting for us to add them to our website? In the next two weeks, we’ll be adding SO many more favorites. Stay tuned and follow us on Instagram. Happy spring shopping!

It may be snowing outside but the countdown to summer is always on with Pinkly Perfect! As we daydream about swapping our boots for flip flops and sweaters for sundresses, we’re scouring the internet to find pretty pink bathing suits to get us excited for beach weather this summer.

We love any detail that makes swimsuits unique and on trend. The straps on this Target brand bikini top elevate the typical halter silhouette to something really special. We also love that you can pair with virtually any bottom and it’ll work.

Last September, I had my dream trip booked. I was headed to Southern California for five days to bring Pinkly Perfect to the West Coast. In typical girl boss fashion, however, too much work, unforeseen shipping delays, and not enough help (my fault) put a halt on my much needed (for sales, inspiration, and relaxation) getaway.

Since deciding to launch a company, there have been so many things I’ve had to miss out on because of work. This was the first time where it spiraled into a “what am I doing with my life?” moment. And trust me, it was ugly.

This past weekend, I (finally!) got to make the trip a reality and it was the best three days of my life. Below I highlighted some of my favorite things about it:

Girlboss Rally:

In short, this was the most inspirational day of my life as a small business owner. Sophia Amoruso, founder and CEO of Girlboss, founder of Nasty Gal, and all around badass girl boss/my idol curated the conference with equally impressive speakers including Lilly Singh, Brit Morin, Michelle Lam, Tyler Haney, and so many more! Sophia started the day off with saying, “just because we’re doing it ourselves does not mean we’re doing it alone.” That sentence alone was enough to pull me out of my rut of feeling entirely alone all the time. (Tips for anyone starting a company: have someone on your team from the beginning—co-founder, investor, partner, advisory board, mentor…) I would talk more about it but then I’d be typing forever! 🙂

Did I mention pink is their signature color? 🙂

Exploring!

When I wasn’t at the Girlboss Rally, I was doing my favorite thing ever: exploring beach towns. On my list were Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Balboa Island. I’ll always be a NJ shore girl at heart (08202), but the combo of palm trees, year-round warmth, and the most beautiful blue/green ocean water are unbeatable. Here are some of my pics:

A little getaway isn’t complete until you treat yourself! Yes, I shopped (obviously) and spent an hour or two at the spa (duh), but the food treats were the best. Below is a pic of the most delicious and beautiful cookie from B.Candy I had during my trip. We also had dinner at Broadway (Top Chef runner-up Amar Santana’s restaurant)—best dinner of my life, and probably 15 iced coffees from local coffee shops.